Customer Reviews

Bare-Tool Makita BTW450Z High Torque Impact Wrench (Tool Only, No Battery)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this to change tires at the race track. But I just keep finding uses for it. Tons of power for a cordless and decent run time on the little lithium batteries. At first the little batteries do not fit, but there is a ridge in the tool there to force you to use the big batteries. All you have to do is grind it off and the smaller kit batteries will fit. Works great for: driving in big lag bolts for a deck, changing a flat tractor tire in the middle of a field, swapping car tires.

What it does lack is variable speed, but this is a brute force tool anyway. The little led light is handy too. FYI, at the track, one battery will do almost 2 sets of tires tourqued to 100 ft/lbs.

I hestitated to buy this as I've heard stories from friends that many of these beasts don't have much torque to them. Well, I shouldn't have waited, this model is pretty much what I was hoping to get. It's got great battery life and plenty of torque. The ergonomics are good, but be pre-warned about the weight of it, it's pretty heavy. It's built like a tank, and I guess that I wouldn't want it any other way. It is easy to use, although the toggle switch to power it does take a few minutes to get used to. The first few minutes of using it, I found myself not paying attention to which way I was pushing the toggle and going the reverse direction to that which I intended. That was my stupid mistake, with any new tool you need to pay extra close attention to it the first few times you use it.

Edit to add that if you are working on some very tough/tight bolts, make sure that your battery is fully charged. These batteries are not supposed to show that property, but apparently they do when pulling a heavy torque. Well, at least I'm seeing it. I'll have to check the manual again to see if it mentions that.

PRO'S:
* Extremely powerful, comparable to many of the best air-powered impact wrenches but without the hassle of a hose.
* Uses Makita's super lightweight 18V lithium battery.
* Forward and reverse are built into a single trigger. The top of 1/3 of the trigger activates reverse, while the bottom 2/3 operates the wrench in forward. No need to press a switch or button before changing directions.
* Seems very wellbuilt: Has a shock absorbing base to protect the battery, solid feel, and sockets are easy to change.

CON'S:
* It's heavy - plain and simple. Although that is probably to be expected from a powerful impact wrench.
* It is unbalanced because the top is so heavy while the battery is very light.
* Dual-use trigger takes a bit of getting used to (but is a better design once you've done it a few times).

Overall, this is heavy-duty and efficient unit that makes a good addition to the already outstanding line of Makita LXT tools. We use it for lawn mower repair in my landscape business, and it is definitely the preferred tool. It would be great for automotive work and will spin the lugnuts off of a verhicle in a flash (we tried it on a trailer wheel).

I purchased this solely for removing the 1 1/8" pinion nut on a 15 year old Jeep Cherokee. They're torqued from the factory to 200 ft-lbs. In MN, the salty roads lead to a lot of rust on threaded fasteners, so I was worried about being able to remove such a large, heavily torqued nut.

This impact had absolutely no problem getting the nut off. 2-3 seconds of hammering and off it came. For anyone who lives in the rust belt, buy one of these immediately. I wish I had gotten one sooner, it is SO much better than a 2' breaker bar with a pipe over the end of it. Plus it's still small enough to get into most places.

It paid for itself on just this one repair as the local shop quoted me ~$250 for this fix.

For anyone who frequents junkyards, this tool's value is immeasurable. Taking apart rear ends or suspensions is absolutely no problem, though I recommend an extra battery.

Cons? It's a bit heavy, especially at arm's length, but it removes nuts and bolts so quickly that you don't have to hold it for long.

I purchased this tool to primarily drive long 3/8" lag bolts and it does a great job.

First this tool is large and heavy, about 7 pounds, but if you want torque and the power to drive or or remove stubborn bolts this is the tool. It it just as powerful as a corded or air driven impact wrench, but with cordless convenience. It has a 1/2" square drive to attach sockets or adapters. The rocker type trigger controls both forward and reverse. Forward or clockwise motion is achieved by pulling the lower portion of the trigger and reverse by pulling the upper portion of the trigger. This action may sound a little awkward, but it actually works quite well, is fast, and allows a change of direction using one hand.

There is a switch on the rear of the handle that turns on two LED side lights to light up the work area. The tool uses the same slide in 18 volt lithium-ion batteries that powers the new line of 18 volt Makitas that came out a few years ago. I found that the impact wrench functions best and gives the most power with a fully charged battery. When installing the battery be aware that slide in bracket on the bottom of the handle will move. After calling Makita I was informed that this movement was engineered into the tool to absorb some of the vibration and is normal. For small bolts/screws or in a tight area I would grab my small Makita 1/4" impact, but for large bolts or automotive work I don't see how you could go wrong with this tool. I definitely give it thumbs up!

I used to make my living as an auto mechanic. I used a friends Dewalt cordless 1/2" impact wrench and was very impressed but when I saw the price I backed off. I own several other makita tools that use the same lithium-ion battery and have been very happy with them. When this unit came up for less than half the price of the Dewalt I jumped. I still own a 1/2" air impact and this cordless wrench appears to have as much power as the air wrench. It is heavy especially with the battery but at least there is no hose attached to it. I like the shock absorbing battery mount. I think that's a great idea.

I have two of these now, one for work and one for my garage. Durable, and strong. Has all the power you could really ever need to tackle any nut or bolt. I prefer it over air impacts because its quiet and you never have to wait for the compressor.

First time buying from Amazon. Bought Makita impact wrench (cordless). It arrived on the day it was described. Put it to test on the very next day. With one battery load, I removed and reinstalled all four tires on my truck. I replaced the brakes. This Makita Impact wrench is powerfull. It save me a lot of time. I don't have to worry obout hoses and cables. It did the job for me. This tool will only be used when needed. I'm a weekend do it your self person.

I work on cars for a living and let me just say that this tool comes in handy! will take out seat bolts like nothing... lug nuts, like nothing.. yes it may be big but its common sense that a little tiny impact isnt going to give you the brute force that this guy does.

I bought this to remove the center-lock wheels on my racecar.
Made in Japan. Great quality. Plenty of torque and more importantly this bruiser can also be rather delicate.